Essay: Watching TV is a complete waste of time
Further Practice Tests - Test 1 - Part 2 - Option 4
Read the following ideas, which are part of a student's plan for this essay. Place them in
the correct column. Decide if some ideas are not relevant.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
stops people doing other things e.g. children should be playing or reading instead of
watching TV
books are more educational than TV
keeps you up to date with what is going on e.g. news coverage from all over the world, nice
way to relax after a busy day i.e. variety of programmes, comedies and dramas, '
most programmes that people watch, especially young people, have little or no educational
value e.g. reality shows
video games encourage violence
can be very important for people on their own e.g. elderly people
pets can provide good company for people on their own
can be educational e.g. documentaries
TV can be bad influence e.g. programmes can be violent, contain a lot of foul language
Suggested reasons why TV is not a
waste of time
Suggested reasons why TV is a
waste of time
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ANSWERS AND DISCUSSION
Suggested reasons why TV is not a
waste of time
Suggested reasons why TV is a
waste of time
 can be very important for people on  stops people doing other things e.g.
their own e.g. elderly people
children should be playing or reading
instead of watching TV
 keeps you up to date with what is
going on e.g. news coverage from all over  TV can be bad influence e.g.
the world, nice way to relax after a busy programmes can be violent, contain a lot
day i.e. variety of programmes, comedies of foul language
and dramas, '
 can be educational e.g. documentaries
 most programmes that people watch,
especially young people, have little or no
educational value e.g. reality shows
Not relevant:
 books are more educational than TV
 video games encourage violence
 pets can provide good company for people on their own
Possible approaches to the task:
1) Balanced approach
Introduction
Agreeing with title
Disagreeing with title
Personal conclusion
2) Opinion approach (this is one option: you could write against television too)
Note how some counterarguments – and even some of the statements marked as
irrelevant – have been incorporated, but always with the emphasis on why TV is
not a waste of time. Also note how the conclusion summarises the main point of
each paragraph in the same order in which they are discussed in the essay.
Some people think that watching television is a waste of time. However, I personally believe that
it can have many benefits.
First of all, although it is often heard that television can be a bad influence, it cannot be
denied that it keeps you up to date with what is going on. Nowadays, thanks to the news
coverage from all over the world, it is easy to follow international events almost in real time.
A further benefit is that it can be very important for people, for example the elderly, who are on
their own. It is true that pets can keep better company, but then some people are allergic to
animals, and not everybody is fond of them.
The main benefit in my view is that television provides an endless source of entertainment. It
offers an extensive variety of programmes, such as comedies and dramas, and the opportunity
to see classic films. If some people choose to watch only reality shows, television is not to
blame, but they are.
To sum up, television provides information, company and entertainment. It is one of the greatest
inventions of the 20th century, and is certain to enjoy immense popularity for a very long time.
(200 words)
So as to stick to the prescribed number of words, only four paragraphs is the best
option. The essay above is a little too long to illustrate different techniques and
structures.